Today Never Happened Before
by madi.bee3
Summary: Emma and Casey have been best friends since before they could remember. They share a haunting past that Casey can't remember. Remus/OC& Sirius/OC, AU, written in collaboration with katcamree.
1. Ch1: Train Rides and Strippers

**Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter or the Characters yada yada... Except for Casey and Emma.**

* * *

**Chapter One: _Train Rides and Strippers_**

Casey Oakland brushed her long brown hair over her shoulder and followed Emma up the steps onto the Hogwarts Express, trunks in tow. They had been best friends ever since they could remember. Emma's mom knew Casey's mom from childhood, and was the only one who knew that the Oakland's were wizards. When Emma and her older brother started to show signs of magical talent, both the Oakland and the Wright families were ecstatic.

"Emma, you are walking too slowly!" Casey exclaimed.

"Sorry," Emma stifled a yawn. "I'm just so t-tired…"

"You had a whole summer to sleep late! Get a move on!"

"Well, I'm not used to waking up yet."

Casey rolled her eyes. "Get used to it, or you'll fail the term!"

"Yeah, yeah." Emma dismissed.

The girls made their way to an empty compartment, throwing their trunks on the luggage rack above the velvet benches.

"Casey?" A high voice asked, before re-opening the sliding compartment door to reveal a head of auburn hair.

"Lily!" Casey exclaimed, pulling the girl into a hug. Emma turned pointedly away from the girls and sat down in a rush.

"What's your problem, Wright?" Lily questioned Emma.

"Well, I was having a lovely day until you walked through that blasted door, Evans." Emma snapped.

"Em," Casey began.

"Oh, get over yourself!" Lily said with contempt before returning back to Casey. "We have prefect duties, so you can quit babysitting your little viper."

"That _viper_ happens to be my best friend, Lily. Please don't talk about her like that." Casey defended Emma calmly. Lily turned to leave after giving Casey a halfhearted shrug. "She's right, you know. You should at least _try_ to be a little more civil, Em."

"I will if she does."

Casey rolled her eyes. "You're being immature. Anyway, I really have to go. I can't believe I forgot!"

Emma laughed. "Aren't I normally the forgetful one?"

"Well, regrettably you've rubbed off on me. Man, I can't believe I'm friends with such a loser." Casey joked. "See you later. I'll stop by the compartment later on if I can."

"Okay, love you." Emma replied after handing Casey her trunks just in case she wasn't able to come back to the compartment before they left. "I wish we could just apparate to Hogwarts. I hate the train…" Emma remarked randomly.

"Love you too, and deal." Casey replied before sliding the compartment door shut behind her.

Emma sat back on the compartment's velvety seat and sighed. It was a long way to Hogwarts, and they hadn't even left the station left. _This sucks._ Emma thought to herself.

She pulled out a few well-worn books, among which was a copy of _The Catcher in the Rye_. The book fascinated Emma, but Casey always hated it. While Emma couldn't get enough of Holden Caulfield's messed-up perspective of life, Casey found him to be obnoxious, and found the book to be a complete utter waste of time.

Emma barely had enough time to finish the third sentence of the fifth chapter before three vexatious boys poured into the compartment.

"Oi, Wright, is it?" Potter asked arrogantly. "Mind you if we share this compartment?"

Before Emma could even open her mouth to protest, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew tossed their trunks onto the rack above the seats.

"Idiots," Emma muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Sirius asked, turning towards her.

Emma gulped. As fearless as she was, the boys intimidated "Nothing, Black." She rolled her eyes before returning to her novel.

James, Sirius, and Peter crowded together on the bench across from her, and she swung her legs up to rest across the bench seat.

"You know," Sirius began, glancing at Emma, "You're quite hostile, for a Ravenclaw."

Emma ignored him, trying to focus on Holden's problems rather than the three pains in her neck (well, largely only one at the moment) across the compartment from her.

Sirius snatched the book out of her hands. "Give me tha-"

"I've never seen _this_ book before!" Sirius exclaimed. "What's it about?"

"A naïve boy, who quits boarding school, hires a prostitute just to 'talk,' goes to random bars to get drunk, runs away from a previous school teacher who tries to 'molest' him, becomes ill and ends up in a mental institution, all the while claiming it is his goal in life to keep children from losing their innocence." Emma breathed out.

Sirius gave her a quizzical look before opening up the book himself. He instantly started to laugh out loud. "James, look! He calls his brother a prostitute!" Sirius turned back to Emma. "Can I borrow this?"

"No you'll hate it. It will remind you too much of yourself. Give it back!"

**00000000**

Once gathered in the prefect hall, a huge portion of the train devoted to prefect meetings, the Head Boy and Head Girl hushed the crowd of hormonal teenagers down to give them their instructions.

"As per usual," the Head Girl (a seventh-year Ravenclaw) began, "It is your job to monitor the other students and to keep them out of trouble."

"As there are no teachers or other adult supervisors," the Head Boy (also a seventh-year, but from Gryffindor) said, "You have full authority to give them detentions, take away house points, etc. A privilege that will be extended throughout the year, as long as you don't abuse it. There will be a schedule made for when you are to make rounds in the castle and with whom you will partner each time. Remember you must uphold the qualities that we value and be a role model for younger students."

"As a previous American muggle President said, 'with great power, comes great responsibility.'"

"Good luck and stay responsible! Pick a partner today and make your rounds." The Head Boy dismissed the prefects.

In the scramble to be paired with friends, a mean looking Slytherin and a shy looking Gryffindor were left without a partner. The Slytherin looked at the Gryffindor with contempt and joined a pair of Slytherins rather than be forced to walk around with a Gryffindor.

Lily called to the tall boy whom she knew to be her male counterpart of her year. "Remus, come here and do rounds with me and Casey."

Remus happily obliged. He was rather fond of Lily since she was a bookworm just like himself and they had had several study sessions together when Remus couldn't stand to be around the shenanigans in which his best friends were always partaking. He held his hand out to Casey, having never officially met her, "I'm Remus Lupin."

"Casey Oakland."

**0000000**

"Wright, this book is going nowhere! Where are all the fight scenes? And there isn't even magic?! What kind of book is this?!" Sirius exclaimed after actually reading the first few chapters of Emma's book. "When does the prostitute come in? I want to just skip to that chapter!"

Emma rolled her eyes at him as the compartment door slid open to reveal a very tired looking Casey followed by Lily and Remus.

James Potter immediately stiffened as the redhead came into view. It was common knowledge that he was infatuated with her and would stop at nothing to make her his girlfriend. Lily on the other hand preferred to ignore his antics.

"Moony, have you been walking around with these two beautiful women all this time, and didn't even think to invite us?!" Sirius feigned hurt. "We've been putting up with self pretentious Wright over here who thinks her books aren't good enough for the rest of us."

"It's not my fault you didn't even like the _Muggle_ classic," Emma said calmly from her seat.

"So that's why there's no magic!"

"Merlin, you're stupid, Black."

"Oh the pain! I can't take it! Everywhere I turn I'm being stabbed by people I thought were friends." Sirius cried out in the horror of the situation.

"Black, we aren't friends. I don't recall inviting you in here." Emma said bluntly.

"Anyways," Casey said as she moved Emma's legs to sit, "We had to deal with an entire car being destroyed by fourth years. So you didn't miss anything worth attending, Black."

"I know we also participate in the whole Slytherin-Gryffindor rivalry, but destroying an entire car in battle is just completely outrageous!" Remus sighed as he slumped onto the seat to the right of Emma.

"Oh yes because the 'jokes' you Marauders play on them are _so_ harmless," Lily snapped as she moved to take the seat next to Casey. Miraculously the four of them all fit, while the three boys across from them seemed a bit squished.

"Merlin, how are we all fitting?!" Emma said as she looked at her bench mates. "Lupin, you're SO thin! You really ought to eat more!"

"He eats non-stop!" James practically shouted.

"I just run a lot," Remus said looking Emma in the eye.

"Are you sure that's it? You seem to be sick a lot. Besides, running wouldn't keep anyone _that_ skinny." Emma accused.

Remus laughed. "I suppose that's true, too."

Emma turned away from Remus and brushed her short blonde hair back and picked up the other book she happened to bring, _Brave New World_. It was difficult to concentrate, and she swore she saw Sirius shoot Casey glances with longing in his eyes. After a few minutes, Sirius caught Emma catching him staring at Casey. Emma raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well, what's THAT book about?" He asked hurriedly, trying to distract both himself and Emma.

"Oh you'll like _this_ one." Emma replied. Casey and Lily laughed, being the only ones who got Emma's joke.

"Good one, Wright." Lily laughed. Emma smiled at her for the first time in a long time.

"Oh that's not _fair_!" Sirius complained. "Now I'll _have_ to read it just to understand what you're all laughing at!"

"Be my guest." Emma practically threw the book at him.

"You aren't very ladylike." Sirius whimpered.

"Well you're no gentleman." Casey stated. "Emma is who she is. Deal with it."

"I'm _trying_." Sirius said. "She's just so difficult!"

"We all are from time to time." Lily said dryly. "Especially Emma."

"You four should change into our robes; I can see Hogwarts from here." Remus stated from his window seat, addressing his friends and Emma.

The four of them grabbed their robes from their trunks to change. While Emma, James, and Peter left the compartment to find a bathroom stall, Sirius decided to just change in the compartment, much to Lily and Casey's abhorrence.

"Black! Put your shirt back on and find somewhere else to change!" Casey shouted.

"You know you want to watch me." He whispered into her ear suggestively.

Casey pushed him away. "Git."

After putting up a large fuss, Sirius finally left the compartment to change.

* * *

**A/N:** Well that was fun. Can't wait to hear what you think. -M

And that's how you open a story, boys and girls. More awesomeness to come! -K


	2. Ch2: Thestrals and Ultimatums

**Disclaimer: K and M do NOT we repeat, DO NOT own the wonderful world of Harry Potter or its characters, as wonderful as that would be. We do own Emma and Casey, though :)**

* * *

** Chapter Two:_ Thestrals and Ultimatums _**

"Firs' years, follow me!" A loud, deep voice boomed over the pitter-patter of the scrambling students' feet and the loud train engine at the Hogsmede station. Dozens of scared looking preteens hesitantly clumped together after the large giant-like man. Although he wasn't nearly as terrifying as he looked, Rubeus Hagrid still let out a frightening aura, for an eleven year old child. Hagrid, however, was by no means any more violent than a well-behaved Great Dane. He was full of energy and was well loved by most of the students, especially the Gryffindor.

Emma's golden blonde hair shone in the moonlight as she followed Casey and Lily, who were deep in conversation. All Emma could pick out was something about how vile Sirius Black was; it was a valid opinion. They made their way over to the 'horseless' carriages, as most everyone else had called them. To both Emma and Casey, however, the carriages had never been 'horseless.' Ever since second year, when they first rode in the carriages, they saw large, boney, winged terrifying horse-like creatures. Once they became aware that no one else could see them and _why_ no one else could see them, Emma and Casey played along and pretended they couldn't see anything. While Emma had no problem with the fact that she could see the Thestrals, Casey couldn't remember _why _she saw them and it disturbed her. Emma was always very careful about the subject, and although Casey had a feeling Emma was keeping something from her, she ignored it.

Emma had taken a liking to the Thestrals. After being harassed and being called a 'mudblood' by an older student during her third year, Emma ran crying into the Forbidden Forest. She got lost and eventually stumbled on a whole flock of the magnificent, albeit terrifying, horse-like creatures. Emma managed to befriend one if the younger Thestrals after about an hour of coaxing it. The young Thestral flew her to safety just outside the forest. Ever since then, Emma visited the Thestrals as often as she could, bringing meat as gifts.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked, startling Emma from where she stood petting a Thestral's snout.

"Oh, don't you know Stroking the air is quite diverting." Her steel blue eyes twinkled, and she grabbed Remus's hand to place it on the Thestral's snout where her hand had been seconds before.

"Merlin's beard! What was that?" He asked, startled.

"That's a 'needs-to-know,' Lupin." She said before climbing onto the carriage and sitting beside Casey, leaving a dumbfounded Remus behind her.

The enchanting lights of the Hogwarts Castle loomed ahead, welcoming the students to another year at Hogwarts. Casey glanced at Sirius, who was sitting across from her, squeezed between James and Peter. How they managed to fit in an even smaller space together, she did not know, but Casey, Emma, Lily, and Remus also seemed to be able to fit right next to each other as well. Casey caught Sirius's eye, and glared at him. Instead of reacting as she thought he would, he gave Casey a halfhearted smile and glanced quickly away in the opposite direction. _'I wonder what's got his knickers in a bunch,'_ she thought to herself.

Casey turned to face Emma, and the two of them proceeded to share a voluminous conversation concerning the advantages and drawbacks of storing certain potion supplies in magically cooled rooms (not unlike a muggle refrigerator). It was a conversation only the two of them could follow and remain interested in, although Lily did join in the conversation a few times. She was marvelous in potions, but Lily didn't care about how the potions were stored; she just wanted to _use_ them.

The carriages rolled to a stop, and all of the students exited them, making their way towards the gates at the entrance to the school. Out of the corner of her eye, Casey saw Remus watching Emma sneak the Thestrals that pulled their carriage large pieces of meat. He must have thought Emma was insane. Casey took a deep breath. "It's good to be back." She said quietly, so that no one but herself could hear.

Casey made her way to the Ravenclaw table after entering the Great Hall, Emma trailing behind. Out of nowhere, she heard a huge crash. Casey spun around to see Emma on the floor in front of the Slytherin table.

"That's where you belong, filthy mudblood scum," a fellow sixth-year from Slytherin hissed.

Tears brimmed Emma's eyes, but she shook them away before spitting on his face. "I may belong on the ground, but you're the dirt beneath my feet." She snapped.

Before the boy could shoot a jinx out of his wand that he had thrust at the end of Emma's nose, Casey slapped him square across his face. "Twenty points from Slytherin on account of unjustifiable harassment." She said icily before helping Emma to her feet. "Come on, Em. Ignore him."

Emma and Casey were unaware that the Marauders saw everything. "Man those girls know how to defend each other." Sirius whistled. "I sure don't want them for enemies."

"Hate to break it to you, Padfoot, but stripping in front of the one, and calling the other 'hostile' and 'unladylike' to her face, I'd say you're well on your way to make enemies out of them." James said.

"Who told you about that?"

"Remus was there, but Lily actually was the one who complained first. Thanks, Pads. Now she had yet _another_ thing about my choice in friends to hold against me."

"But Prongs, you should have seen their faces!" Sirius laughed. "They were priceless!"

"No," Remus scoffed. "Their faces were rightly in abhorrence. "He turned from his friends and watched the blonde and the brunette finally settle at the Ravenclaw table. "You're lucky that Oakland didn't slap you, too."

"She did push me! I have a bruise forming on my chest!" Sirius leaned in towards him. "Would you like to see my battle wounds, darling?"

"No."

"Come on, kiss it better?"

"Bloody Hell, no!"

"Moony, baby?"

Remus punched Sirius in the arm. "Shut up, I'm serious!"

"Really? Then who am I?"

Back at the Ravenclaw table, Casey and Emma greeted their old friends. The whole table was abuzz with the glimmer of excitement for the fresh new minds that would enter Ravenclaw House, and the knowledge they would bring.

Dumbledore quieted the mass of pubescent teens and preteens before McGonagall opened the large oak doors. The nervous first years trailed behind her like lost little ducklings; their eyes were wide with amazement as they took in the splendor of the floating candles and bewitched ceiling above the ocean of older students.

McGonagall lifted up the sorting hat and placed it on a small stool in front of the large expanse of students. "Hmm-hmm," it coughed, clearing its throat.

_Hogwarts is the place to be_

_For all those who wish to learn_

_I'll place you where you most belong_

_No need to have concern_

_Listen to your teachers_

_And do as you are told_

_Remember every lesson_

_In the events that will unfold_

_I warn you of the danger_

_That soon will be your life_

_Stand strong together_

_And you will conquer strife_

_Make new friends_

_And hold your current ones close_

_They will be your asset_

_As you stand against your foes_

_Although I do divide you_

_As is my only task_

_I want you to unite_

_And if in need only ask_

_So who will be your partners?_

_Let us soon find out_

_I'll look inside your head_

_And give a mighty shout_

_Choice one is Hufflepuff_

_Who houses the kind and loyal _

_Every day with them_

_Shall certainly be joyful_

_Choice two is Gryffindor_

_Who houses the courageous and brave_

_Every day filled with small heroics_

_You'll always make a save_

_Choice three is Ravenclaw_

_Who houses wit and brains_

_Every day is filled with learning_

_And many study strains_

_Choice four is Slytherin_

_Who houses the ambitious and clever_

_Every day a competition_

_But your bonds will never sever_

_So now I must begin_

_The tradition of each New Year_

_And do remember that as long as you stick together_

_There is nothing you should fear_

The sea of students clapped and cheered at the close of the hat's song. It was interesting, and altogether not badly written. The song cast the shadow of imminent struggles. The Sorting Hat must have worked rather hard that past year to write and practice the blasted thing.

One by one, the prepubescent eleven year-olds were called to the front gigantic dining hall to sit on the creaky wooden stool with the Hat on their heads to be sorted into the house that suited them the best. Ravenclaw clapped and cheered every time they received a new student, and the other houses did the same for theirs.

The last student, a plump boy with freckles sprinkled across his face and dark brown hair by the surname of Zeppelin, was sorted into Hufflepuff and the sorting came to a close. Dumbledore said a few words of welcome and a few words concerning the opening of a new term before calling for the food to appear. Dishes full of any entree a hungry teenager with a high metabolism could ask for filled the tables to the point where a person couldn't tell where the food ended and the table began.

Emma filled her plate with chicken salad, while Casey picked out a medium-well done steak and some fruit. Their meals were incredibly delicious and filling. Conversation at the Ravenclaw table was intriguing and intelligent, one of Emma Casey's favorite bonuses of being in Ravenclaw house. In their opinion, the conversation was much more inviting than endless talks of Quidditch one would find with the Gryffindors, trash-talk one would find with the Slytherins, and the friendly small-talk the Hufflepuffs shared. Ravenclaw was just so much more _interesting._

Dumbledore made another short speech before waving in dessert. With so many different savory treats to choose from, many students opted to partake of three or four sweets, if they could stomach them. Loud chatter and excitement enveloped the room, giving Emma one of her frequent headaches.

"It's too loud in here." Emma grumbled, massaging her skull. "I'm going to bed."

"What?" Casey asked loudly, trying to elevate her voice high enough for Emma to hear her. "You don't look so good... are you OK, hun?"

Emma didn't answer. She just slipped off of the bench and left the room. Luckily for her, everyone was too busy acting on their sugar high to notice the average-height blonde exit through the large, creaky doors. Casey shrugged and returned to her brownie-like Wizarding cake. It had some sort of filling inside that she couldn't place, but it was topped with ice cream, making the dessert delicious all the same.

"Hey, Case." Lilly said, swinging her legs over the empty space on the bench next to Casey. "I see the viper has left."

Casey exhaled impatiently. "Lily, I am getting sick and tired of you two constantly talking bad about each other to me. It is annoying, and frankly, I can't put up with it anymore. I've known Emma my whole life, and I've known you since we were eleven. I care about both of you, but if my sanity means cutting off ties with my two best friends, I certainly will do so."

Lily blinked in surprise; she knew that Casey always spoke her mind, but never imagined that Casey would ever give her, or anyone for that matter, and ultimatum. Casey, on the other hand, felt nothing but relief. All she needed to do next was give Emma the same speech, and maybe she would have a stress-free year from the two of them. It would be heaven on earth.

"I love you Lily, but I also love Emma." Casey continued. "Will you promise to at least _try_ to be more civil towards her? I know she gets overly defensive, but we all have our own reasons as to why we are the way we are. Who knows? Maybe you'll grow to appreciate her."

"Okay." Lily replied. "I'm not making any promises, but I will try to understand her, and I will stop talking smack about her to you."

"That's all I'm asking."

Dumbledore cleared the tables with a clap. McGonagall and the other heads-of-house passed out timetables to the students. After the scramble to obtain their class schedules (Casey picked up Emma's), the massive crowd poured out of the Great Hall. The prefects gathered the first years in their respective houses and escorted them to their dormitories.

"Now," Casey began once they climbed the dizzying spiral to the place of the Ravenclaw common room. "In order to gain entrance, you need to answer a riddle of sorts. Observe." The first years were still a bit dizzy dorm the climb and had to hold onto the railings. Casey reached out to the bronze Eagle shaped knocker and banged it once.

The Eagle opened its beak, and a soft musical voice said, "There are four brothers in this world that were all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second eats and is never full. The third drinks and is always thirsty. The fourth sings a song that is never good. Who are they?"

"Oooh a nice muggle riddle." Casey smiled. "Any guesses?"

"Umm..." began a small girl with glasses. "Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind, are the four elements. Water in rivers always run, Fire consumes all in its path, Earth is constantly being watered by the rain, and loud Winds are never a good sign."

"Well-reasoned," Answered the Eagle; the door swung open.

Excited gasps of eleven year-olds sounded as they took in their surroundings. The ceiling was domed and dotted with stars, the carpet as dark blue as the night sky. Large arched windows gave the common room an open, breezy, relaxed feeling.

"Who's that?" One of the young students asked, pointing to a large marble statue at the opposite end of the dorm.

"Rowena Ravenclaw, our house's founder." A significantly healthier-looking Emma answered from a large white armchair by a stuffed bookshelf.

Casey smiled at Emma, who promptly returned to her book, and then finished showing the awestruck first years around the common room. "I suppose I should show you your dorms now, huh?" She asked after hearing the sound of many yawns. Casey led them through a large brown door next to the statue of Ravenclaw. "The boy's door is on the left, and the girl's is on the right." She told them after they came to the two doors, each with a knocker like the one outside the common room. "Just give it a little knock and-" Before Casey could finish her sentence, a thin red headed boy banged the knocker with a fluid, pompous movement.

"State your year." A musical voice sounded.

"F-first," He stuttered.

The door swung open and revealed a large moving staircase, which positioned itself to where the first year boys would be staying.

"Your trunks are already by your beds. Goodnight." Casey called after the girls shuffled to their room as well.

She left the dormitory hall and went back into the common room. "Emma?" She asked. When Emma didn't answer, Casey walked over to her nook by the book case to find her sound asleep. "Figures. Wake up!"

Emma woke with a start. "Huh?"

"It's time for bed."

"I was already asleep, if you didn't notice!"

"If I let you sleep like that uncomfortably, you'd be extra grumpy in the morning."

"Okay, fine."

Casey remembered the conversation she had earlier with Lily and relayed it to Emma.

"Oh." Emma said quietly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it bothered you that much."

They passed through both dormitory doors and walked up to the sixth-year girls' enclave. The beds were simple, yet stylish and had storage compartments underneath of them. Their headboards doubled as a bookshelf, and some of their favorite titles were already stacked neatly in them.

Casey and Emma slipped into their nightclothes.

"Goodnight, Case."

"'Night, Em."

They both settled into bed and drifted to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: **M- Thank you very much! Sorry about the long wait, I have had an incredibly busy summer so far!

K- I CLAIM CREDIT TO THE HAT SONG! IT IS MINE! M DID NOT TOUCH IT! IT WAS ALL ME!


	3. Ch3: Nightmares and Activities

**Disclaimer: **(DIIIISCLAIMER Disclaimer disclaimer!) The following is brought to you by the wonderful minds of K and M. Well, the plot anyway. Most of the characters and the world they live in belong to JK Rowling.

* * *

**Chapter Three: _Nightmares and Activities_**

Flashes of smiling faces surround me. The large, full moon over looms me, Emma and Rhys, my two best friends embrace me as we play by a fire outside the small tent that we share.

"Race you to the clearing!" Rhys cries, speeding off, leaving his sister and me to rush after him.

"Last one there is old Filch!"

Ever since he returned from Hogwarts, Rhys hasn't talked about anything else. We can't wait to attend with him.

I stumble ahead of Rhys, overtaking both him and Emma, and trip over a high root just on the edge of the clearing… a dog appears teeth barred… Rhys pulls me up, "Run away." He flourishes his wand… we turn away…and then the air is pierced with screams.

**000000000**

A high blood-curdling scream filled the Ravenclaw dorm room, shooting Emma strait up from her sleep.

"Merlin, Casey!" Emma exclaimed, rushing over to Casey. She was drenched in sweat and was breathing heavily. "What's wrong?"

"Th-there was a clearing..." She panted "And a dog, and Rhys, oh my God, Rhys, and so much blood, so much blood…" Hot tears poured down Casey's cheeks.

"Oh, no…" Emma covered her mouth with one hand and reached out and touched Casey's cheek with the other. "How…" Emma composed herself, and then moved closer to Casey. "It's going to be alright. It was only a dream.

"So much blood…"

**0000000000000**

"Come in class. Come, file in. Don't be shy. We all know each other by now." Professor Slughorn urged the students into the dungeon classroom for the first potions class of the year. "Don't bother sitting down yet; I'll be assigning partners as there aren't too many of you."

The class consisted of 9 Ravenclaw, 5 Gryffindor, 4 Hufflepuff, and 6 Slytherin. Since the students were now advancing to NEWT level classes, having taken the OWLs the previous year, not everyone continued with potions.

"Alright who do we have here…? Let's see… I think we'll do groups of three…" Slughorn rambled as he tried to decide who would work with whom. "Miss Evans, Mr. Black, and Miss Oakland. Mr. Lupin, Miss Wright, and Mr. Edwards. Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape, and Miss Robinson." The three groups started to move towards each other, while Slughorn continued making the groups. Casey and Lily were ecstatic to be in the same group but a little unsettled by the mischief maker they also had to work with. Emma and Remus exchanged pleasantries along with the Hufflepuff assigned to work with them. James was furious upon being placed with his enemy, the slimy, elitist, Severus Snape; if he hadn't also been paired with the blonde, overachieving, friendly Caroline Robinson of Ravenclaw who hopefully could keep peace between the two boys, he would have immediately abandoned potions class.

When Emma looked around there was her group, Casey's group, James' group, a group with two Ravenclaws and a Slytherin, a Hufflepuff and two Slytherins, two Ravenclaws and a Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw and two Slytherins, and finally a Ravenclaw and two Hufflepuffs. Slughorn also looked around at the room full of students, happy with the group placements.

"Now keep in mind that you won't always work in your groups. Since this is NEWT level you will have to be able to pull your own weight as well. But for the first few weeks we'll be working in these groups, after all the real world of potions often requires people to collaborate to meet a goal. Today, we are going to brew the Elixir to Induce Euphoria which can be found on page 98. Seems like a _happy_ way to start the year." Slughorn joyfully concluded his beginning of the year speech and returned to the front of the room. When he noticed nobody had moved, he reminded his students that they already knew where to find everything.

"NO! Black, don't put that in there! Are you trying to mess up the entire potion?! We are on step _five;_ that is in step _eight_! Don't screw this up." Casey yelped swatting Sirius's hand away from the cauldron and preventing a disaster that would result in an Acceptable grade instead of Outstanding or at least Exceeds Expectations, after all a Ravenclaw could never risk losing perfection. Lily laughed at Casey as she returned to her work, ignoring Sirius as best as possible. However this was a very hard feat since Sirius was one of the Kings of Mischief.

"Oh, lighten up, Oakland. It's just a potion." Sirius said.

"To you it's just a potion; to me it's something that may be on the final exam." Casey replied, not missing a beat. "Lily, can you start cutting the roots into even pieces, please?"

"Sure thing!" Lily and Casey worked well together, much like a well oiled machine. They each knew all the tricks to potions and cooperated very well, obviously since they were best friends. They did, however, butt heads during individual work trying to be the best. Lily had a natural talent for the subject, and Casey's competitiveness elicited a desire to beat everyone.

Emma, however, struggled with her group. Remus was horrible at Potions by her standards, and Mathew Edwards seemed lost in the dungeons.

"Lupin, that's rosemary, not lavender! Honestly! Even a muggle could tell the difference!" She snapped.

Remus rolled his eyes. "They both smell strong…"

"They're completely different!" she paused, and sighed. "Notice, the lavender has a purple tinge and is bubblier looking, see?" She pointed out the difference between the herbs.

Remus glared at her. "It all seems the same to me!"

"Time's up! Let's see how everyone did!" Slughorn announced. "Hmmm, yes, well done." Slughorn commented on a few of the groups' work. "Excellent! Miss Oakland, Miss Evans, brilliant work." He said peering into their cauldron which was the exact shade of blue described in the book.

"What about me, Professor?" Sirius nudged, reminding the man that he was also in the group.

"Mr. Black it seems as if you've weaseled your way into a good grade by merely following orders. You would make an excellent dog."

Sirius looked a little shocked by the comment, while Remus and James sniggered profusely.

"I applaud you for a good start to the year, class! Go ahead and clean up and then you're dismissed."

James clapped Sirius on the back as they left the classroom, "Padfoot, you would make an excellent dog! Don't you agree, Moony?"

"Sirius? A dog?" Remus paused for a moment pretending to be deep in thought. "Yeah, I can see it." He earned himself a punch in the arm for that remark.

"The way Sirius follows you around James, I'd say he already is half dog," Casey joked from behind the boys as she, Emma, and Lily burst into laughter.

"If you prefer, I'll follow you around, Oakland." Sirius replied suggestively, turning to face the girls.

"As if Case would want an imbecile like you stalking her every step," Emma remarked.

"That's harsh, Wright." James replied in defense of his best mate.

"With his big ego I'm sure he'll get over it quickly enough." Emma retorted.

"Oh no, I'm deeply hurt," Sirius said clutching his chest. "I may never recover. I'll be forever broken hearted. How...Will I... go on?" He said dramatically collapsing in the middle of the hallway.

"That sounds like a personal problem." Casey brushed past the boys followed by Emma and Lily.

**00000000**

The wind felt great on Casey's face; it had been far too long since she last rode on her broom.

Casey was flying a few laps around the stadium to demonstrate basic flying ability, as was the first test the Ravenclaw quidditch captain had put all of the applicants through.

The captain was a seventh year boy, whom Casey had talked to on occasion. He was strong, well built, and agile, all of the characteristics of a Keeper. His girlfriend certainly loved the double meaning whenever she mentioned that her hottie boyfriend "sure was a keeper."

"Alright, everyone trying out for seeker, stand to my right," Captain Tyler Murphy called out, "Beaters to the left, and Chasers in front of me."

There was a great scuffle as everyone moved to stand amongst the others trying out for their desired positions. Murphy's eyes scanned the crowd landing on a slender brunette looking quite out of place surrounded by bulky, muscular teenage boys trying out for beater.

"Oakland, we've been over this, I'm not letting you try out for Beater. You're a brilliant quidditch player, but you're too fragile to be a beater. Chaser suits you better, which is why you'll be trying out there, again."

"Murphy you have to give me a chance! Your fragile excuse doesn't work anymore." She stomped up to him furious, standing eye to eye with him, almost taller by an inch or two. "Besides I'm stronger than half the boys in that group," she said indicating the second, third, and fourth year boys who looked rather shrimpy.

"Fine, but when you don't get chosen, you'll march your smart ass mouth over to the Chaser tryouts."

"Fine," Casey agreed with venom in her voice. _I'll show you_, she thought, walking back to the group of Beater wannabes.

"Beaters pair up and listen carefully." Murphy shouted.

He ran them all through the usual tryout procedure, quite pleased with the pool he had to choose from. He began dismissing students one by one as they failed to impress him. Eventually he was down to four people to choose from. Three blokes who looked the part of a Beater and to his surprise the stubborn Casey Oakland.

His final test for them was a question. "If another player is hurt, do you continue playing or rush to help them?"

"Continue, someone in the stands can help. We have a game to win!" Chaplin, the tallest of the three guys said.

"Check if he's critical, if not keep playing." Roberts concluded.

"Does it matter? The professors will stop the game anyways. They're too scared," Melvin quipped.

Murphy looked at Casey. "Help them. A teammate's safety is more important. Besides, you want to make sure they can play the next match as well."

"Thank you for trying out. Oakland, Roberts, you're on the team. Congrats." Murphy said rather dully as he walked away to put the chasers through their tryout routine.

"Hey, thanks for giving me a fair shot!" Casey said trotting after him.

"Yeah, turns out it's a good thing I did. You flew really well, and surprised me with how hard you could hit a bludger. Don't let me down."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Captain!" She said racing towards Emma to tell her the great news.

"Emma, Emma! I made the team!"

"That's nothing new, Case. You make the team every year." Emma drawled.

"But now he's letting me be a beater! It's about time too! Hey what are you doing tonight? Let's celebrate!"

"Oh. My. Goodness. That's amazing, I'm so proud of you! You're brilliant. Oh, and I can't celebrate tonight. Astronomy Club meeting. It's the first of the year, and Professor Frank is announcing who won last year's ballot."

"Oh alright, that's cool! Good luck! I'm going to go shower. I'll meet you in the Great Hall later for dinner, sound good?"

"Perfect. Bye."

Casey was walking into the Entrance Hall when she was tackled by a mass of black fabric and curly hair.

"Ow! Black, what the hell?" Casey cried out shoving him off of herself.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there." Sirius said jumping up and starting to smooth out his robes. "I was running away from Filch—oh here he comes. Quick!" He grabbed Casey's wrist and pulled her up and started to run. He opened a portrait and rushed inside still pulling Casey along. Then he stopped abruptly causing Casey to run into him and fall to the floor again.

"Black! This is utter nonsense!" she shouted.

"Shush. Keep your voice down. You don't want to get caught do you?"

"But I didn't do anything wrong!" she protested as he offered his hand to help her up.

"But you're an accessory to my crime now. Besides, do you really want people finding us together in such a confined space?" He said noticing that Casey only stood a few inches away. "Someone might think we're… up to something." He commented suggestively.

Casey froze. It definitely wouldn't look good to be caught this close to Sirius.

"They would make up rumors about us, dear. And it would be quite dull if all of the rumors were false," Sirius said batting his eyelashes dramatically.

"OI! Sirius! Filch is gone." James said swinging the portrait open to find his partner in crime very close to Casey who jumped away. "Oh, hey Oakland. I heard you're going to be a beater for the Ravenclaw quidditch team. Is that true?"

"Yeah, I am." She replied looking at the boys admiring faces.

"That takes some real talent, sweetheart." Sirius said placing his arm around her waist.

"And power, darling." She said too sweetly as she moved her hand along his arm only to pull it off of herself and twist it about as hard as she could.

Sirius cried out in pain and leapt away from her.

"Don't touch me again, Black." She said as she stalked off.

"Oh, but how I want to," he muttered under his breath.

**000000000000**

As night began to fall, Emma waved goodbye to her friends and proceeded to climb the long winding staircase of the Astronomy tower. She couldn't wait for the results of the ballot. Last term, Emma had decided to run for club President. She was very nervous while giving her speech but hoped to gain votes from her friends and fellow club members. Tonight she would find out if her speech had done just that. As she approached the door at the top of the tower she took a deep breath and walked forward ready to hear the outcome that she had been looking forward to for three months.

"Emma!" Henry Conrad exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around her in greeting.

"Hello, Henry," her voice was muffled by his chest. "Can you let me go now?"

"Yeah, sorry," Henry laughed, releasing her and stepping back. "How was your summer? Anything eventful happen? Or did you just stare at the sky the whole time?"

"No, I stared at some books too. It's like you don't even know me."

"Apparently not, huh? Anyone who knew you would know that all you care about is stars and books."

"I know, right? People are just a nuisance."

"Got that right, Wright. See what I did there?" he teased, while a huge grin spread across his face.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You think you're so punny!"

At that moment, Professor Frank called the nocturnal portion of Hogwarts' students into order to begin the meeting.

"Now," He began, "Normally the Club's President would begin the meeting, but we as of yet don't have one. I pity the new President, really. It's such a dreary task." Most of the club was at the edge of their seats. Professor Frank had fun toying with the nerd's anxieties. He babbled on for a long while, talking about the history of Astronomy and the Hogwarts club, and mentioned a few stories about the naming of some of the bright shining stars.

"Professor!" One of the students interrupted after about a half hour (they were normally polite little nerds, so it was quite a surprise that someone called out. One is only left to guess that even the most patient, respectful of people get over-worked under great amounts of tension.)

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Professor Frank fake realized. "We have yet to announce the winners of the ballot." The whole class exhaled. "Your new club historian is Henry Conrad." Henry smiled wide, and Emma gave him a hug. "The Vice President is Matthew Lewis." A tall, lanky boy stood in recognition of the applause that he received; he was a _very_ good looking nerd. "And lastly your President is," Emma crossed her fingers and closed her eyes, "Emma Wright." A significant amount of applause followed.

"Hey, you should give a speech!" Henry commanded Emma. The whole group joined in the relentless chant of "Speech! Speech! Speech!"

Emma shook her head. "No way," she said; the students weren't having any of it (typical of nerds, really). "Um… stars! Look up; you can see a whole bunch of them! That's why we're here, really, to observe the night sky. What we aren't here to do is to listen to me babble." Emma paused. "Let regular club goings-on commence."

And that's just what they did. Hordes of telescopes appeared and scrolls of sky charts buzzed around the night sky at the tip of the Astronomy tower.

* * *

**A/N:** M- Notice anyone? ;)

K- Girl Power! Way to show them who a real beater is, Case! Please Review!


End file.
